the_roman_republic_to_the_renaissancefandomcom-20200213-history
The Art of Italy: The Etruscans
The history of Italian art is really a history of Italy itself. This page is the first in a series about the art of Italy. This is a very broad overview; I encourage you to take the examples from here and do some further research on your own. 'The Etruscans' A highly skilled society of seafarers, the Etruscans controlled most of northern and central Italy. They were not a unified society as their cities were independent of one another. However, they shared common linquistic ties as well as religioius beliefs and practices. 'Etruscan Art' 'Etruscan Sculpture' The Apollo of Veii (the large image at right) is the finest surviving Archaic Etruscan temple sculpture. Although it shares similarities with Archaic Greek sculpture (the smaller image of the Kroisos below), the Etruscan style had qualities that were unique to the Italian peninsula. The main similarity between the Archaic Greek and Archaic Etruscan is in the treatment of the form. Both figures are on the verge of naturalism (this is an art word that means the subject is an exact representation of what one would find in nature). However, although they are close to that degree of realism, their rigid poses, unnatural facial expression (look up the Archaic smile), an stylized hair keep them from achieving that benchmark. It will not be until the Classical age of the Greeks that sculpture achieves true naturalism. Upon first inspection, one difference is obvious, the Etruscan figure is clothed in a garment whose stylized drapes add rhythm and movement to a form that already appears as though it may step off of it's pedestal and touch you with its outstreched arm. The Greek sculpture, however, is nude. Additionally, it seems less animated than the Etruscan Apollo. The energy and excitement of this sculpture is characteristic of Archaic Etruscan art. One last interesting fact about Apulu (The Etruscan name for Apollo), he would have been brightly painted. This aspect is actually quite common for all statuary that we see from ancient times. For many of us modern people who have only seen these figures in white or other various shades of ivory, thinking about them as being painted to look lifelike is hard to fathom. 'Etruscan Burial Sculpture' Similar to the Egyptians, the Etruscans often buried their dead in sarcophagi. However, the Etruscans usually cremated their dead instead of embalming them. Furthermore, the sarcophagi of the Etruscans were far less stiff and formal than one would find in Egyptian funerary sculpture. The sarcophagus from the Banditaccia necropolis in Cerveteri is a fine example of Etruscan burial sculpture. Unique to the Etruscan style, the sarcophagus shows a man and woman sharing the same dining couch. The legs are only vaguely described and the female has the same gesticulating arm movement that is seen in the Apollo of Veii. Although not as perfectly proportioned nor naturally posed as Greek sculpture of the same timeframe, these figures are able to speak to the viewer in a way that contemporaneous Greek sculptures can not. 'Etruscan Necropolis Art' Another similarity the Etruscans shared with the Egyptians is that both societies believed in an afterlife in which one would have need of many of the necessities in the afterlife as he or she needed in this life. That is, food, tools, furniture, etc. ' ' The Tomb of the Reliefs (below), found in the Banditaccia necropolis in Cerveteri, Italy (the same place as the above sarcophagus), is a fine example of the deceased being supplied with everyday tools and furniture in their final resting place. The walls of this tomb are adorned with reliefs of these objects. Relief is another art word that refers to sculpture that projects out from the plane of the wall, or whatever else supports it. There are bas reliefs (low reliefs that barely project out) and haut relief (high reliefs that project out more). In addition to relief sculpture, the tombs of the wealthiest Etruscans were often decorated with murals as well. The Tomb of the Leopards in the Monterozzi necropolis at Tarquinia displays some common qualities of Etruscan burial murals.Named for the pair of great beasts that guard the chamber near the apex of the cieling, the Tomb of the Leopards depicts a great banquet in which all who participate display exaggerated gestures with unnaturally enlarged hands. An age-old convention, men are decpited with dark skin and women with fair skin. One member holds an egg, a symbol of rejuvination. This banquet is a joyus celebration of life rather than a somber contemplation of death as one would find in Egyptian burial murals. 'Etruscan Decline' In 509 BCE, the Romans expelled the last of the Etruscan kings and replaced the monarch with a republic. In 474 BCE, the allied Greek forces of Cumae and Syracuse defeated the Etruscan fleet off Cumae, effectively ending Etruscan dominacne of the seas. The statue of Aule Metele (''Arringatore--''the orator) is representative of the Roman's complete hegemony over the Etruscans. The statue portrays Aule Metele raising his arm to address the assembly. The sculptor inscribed the man's Etruscan name and the names of both Etruscan parents on the hem of his garment. However, he wears the short toga and high laced boots of a Roman magistrate. His head also resembles contemporaneous Roman portraits. Aule Metele is illustrative of what became of the Etruscans. They did not perish. Nor were they expelled from the Italian peninsula. Just like many other societies conquered by the Romans, Etruscans became Romans and Etruscan art became Roman art. Category:Italian Art Category:Research Pages